Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-12-18
MICKEY FINN'S CAT.
HOW HE LOST HER AND HOW he GOT HER
AGAIN.
Not OOntsptsd With the Grow and the Billy Goat
With Wicked HOrns-Mr. Finn Has the
Dollar Still and She is Satisfied.
MIR York SuH.

III me hand"
Mickey started up with an exclamation
of grief and surprise.
"Oh, ye needn't be Vaughn your jaws
at tn mother that raised ye up and fed ye
since ye were no bigger'n tn little cat
itsel'. / know phwat's best fui ye, me by,
an cats is no good, only furt' be me OWN
around on the fiuce whin dacent folks Is
in bed these cowld nights. Now, Mickey,
ayic, be good Z yersel, an don't be whinln'
about a m'asely cat as aar fleas an is
on'y good fur lappin' milk an scratchin'
at tn back dure. Hasen't We tn crow an
tn billy goat t. play wild? Ye wouldn't be
havin' as foine fun wild q scrawny cat as ye
wud wild a fine billy goat wild his wicked
horns an tn divil's eyes in his head, BAD
luck to him! The first chance I'll be hay-
in I'll sell him, too, so l will, glory be q
God. I'd hav' him sold this twel month
Only livery wun is afraid iv his dirty
thricks, so they are. Ay had that goat
on tn lime kill I'd shove him off, so L
would, an him fallin' on the rocks below
an smashin' him into little bits no big
germ buckwhate."
This TRADE against his pets had no effect
upon Mickey. He had heard it so often
that il passed through his mind like water
through O sieve. How to recover the cat
was what troubled him. She had been in
his possession only about n month, but
during that time he had learned to regard
her with o great deal of affection. The
g~enealogy of the cat was unknown to little
Mike. He didn't know whether the cat had
lapped warm milk before a cosy kitchen fire,
or had been forced out into the cold world
in her extreme youth aud made to scratch
for her living in refuse heaps. All he
knew of her early history was that on re-
turning home one evening he saw Doolan's
yellow dog chase her mp a tree. He had
stoned the dog away and coaxed the cat to
come down. Safely sheltered on his
bosom, he had taken her home and wash
ed her muddy fur with water from the
hand basin and wiped her dry with his
handkerchief. When he had thoroughly
cleaned her fur he found that she was pure
white in color. without spot or blemish,
and that she had beautiful pink eyes. He
remembered now that she was lost to him,
him, perhaps forever; that for two
months the cat had been his bedfellow.
Even now, in fancy, he could hear her soft
purr as she Struggled down against his
breast, with her long whiskers tickling his
cheek. He noted in his minds eye how
nicely the blue ribbon around her neck
cOntrasted with the color Of her shining
coat, and he was very sorrowtul and cried
inwardly, and would have burst into
tears if the door had been between him
and his mother. However, the exigencies
of the case called for action, and he mus
tered up courage enough to say tremb-
lingly:
"Mother, what was the wOman's name
as bought herr"
Bad scran { ye by; shure / wouldn't
hav' TIL impotence tax her name, an she
giyin' me q dollar fur q wenny cat, when
thare's more cats as 'ud fill q cellar over on
Hsnratty street beyant, an diYil a
a 'porth ye'd pay fur forty iv them, rib
bon an all. on'y know the Teddy lives
on tn hill f~orninst tn Catholic church. an
her man is a lawyer, wild bags full iv
goold and silver, t. say nothin' th' green
backs he does b. havin', more power till
him. Ply, Mickey, fur phswt d We want
t know her name, at all?' said Mrs. Finn.
81 do he wantin' T. buy her back agin."
Guy her back agip! an me wild tn
blessed dollar in me pocket, wild Garfield's
piotur' in wan corner an another mans
writin' in another corner, as makes the bill
a good wan till the jidgmint day! G. out,
We idjit! Ink at thin shoes on yer fate,
wild the toes " ye peepin' out and sayin'
good morniu' t We every time ye're put
ting thin on! By tn ould gray goat yell
not ioind out where she's livin', so We
won't, me daddy buck"
Than Mrs. Finn's heart smote her. She
saw the grief upon her boys face, She
saw his eyelids heavy with unshed tears,
and she tried to comfort him.
"Now, Mickey, me by, niver moind the
cat, an I'll make a little cake fur We wfd
a Yankee flag stuck in tn. middle, so ]
will, an We can ate it all yersel', widout
any one AKIN We fur q mouthful. Now ye
90 { bed, like a good by, an in TIL morn.
in yell forgit all about tn cat"
Little Mike went into the bedroom and
removed his eloquent shoes. he sat on
the edge of the trundle he'd, and the moon
came up over stumpy field and looked il
the window. These were the hours which
had been cheered by the presence Of the
cat. These were the times when the cat had
rubbed herself back and forth against his
ankles, and had looked up in his face
inviting a caress. The remembrance OF
these past scenes came to him with bitter
ness now at the thought Of his loss, and be
resolved 10 start out In search Of her.
Softly opening the door into the kitchen,
he saw that his mother had gone out to
chat with a neighbor. He secured his
little iron savings bank from the msntel,
closed the door softly behind him and
stepped out into the Old Point road. The
undertaking of the boy was Q~uixotic. Hi:
knowledge of the locality where the lady
lived who had bought the cat was
meagre, but he kept stoutly on up the
road, b~uttoning his coat tightly uI
about his neck, for the night was
the church he stopped and hesitated,
There was a long row of what to his eye:
were mansions, with lace curtains behind
the windows across the street: bat in which
one of these the lady lived was what trou'
bled him. But the easiest way out OF his
dilemma, Mickey thought, was to take
each house in turn, and inquire if apY Of
the inmates had bought Q new cat that
day. Mickey went up the steps of the first
house with fear and trembling. He pulled
on the bell handle and heard the bell
Jingle family down the long hall. Their
q heavy step cane to the door, and a big
man with gray hair confronted him.
"well boy, what dye want?"-
''M-m-m-m-ister did a Teddy buy a cat
to-day" said Mickey, wishing that he was
safely, down in the street. SIC us g
"Yes, l presume a great many ladies
have been foolish enough to buy cats TO-
day. But you get out Of here or I'll SET
the dog on You"
The door slammed in the boys face,
and he was half tempted to give up the
search. His courage returned, however,
and al the next house the servant came q
the door, who told him that she thought
the folks next deor lad bought q new eat.
'sWss it o w-w-w-hite one?" said little
Mike, taking his savings bank out Of his
pQckek ~ SE4F